Tag:

Drinking Alcohol

Does Psychosis Go Away on its Own?

by Kristina Randle, Ph.D., LCSW March 15th, 2022

About 8mths ago, my husband woke one day and said he was hearing voice, he complained of headaches; he wasn’t sleeping and became very religious. He said my family had tried to poison him or something spiritual- he also was paranoid. He was very cold, almost like a different person. He was loosing weight- just said things that didn’t make sense. I believe he had a psychotic episode either suffering from psychosis or depression- he may even be bipolar. About a month after, I came home and some of his things were gone. And was the last time I seen him. He is ok now, living on his own and sounds very functional, except that he calls with private #s, and still talks about my family poisoning him which is not the case. He’s a very intelligent man and so stubborn. I know he would have to be Denzel Washington to pull off what happen to him, so I don’t believe he was faking. I’ve seem him in the club drinking and dancing as if nothing happened. He didn’t seek medical attention (counseling or medication)…is it possible to recover the way he is now, functional without medication or at any given time it could happen again?

Any information you can give would be appreciated.

It may be possible to recover from psychosis without treatment but that is the exception rather than the norm. Generally, untreated psychosis becomes worse over time. Individuals typically continue to experience symptoms until the psychosis is treated. He may seem “okay” right now but you may not be seeing the full picture. His unwillingness to seek treatment is concerning as is his drinking. Alcohol and other drug use can exacerbate psychosis.

Based on information that you have provided, I do not think he is well. He needs treatment. Psychosis does not generally improve on its own. In virtually all cases, treatment is necessary. Without such treatment, decompensation occurs.

This is a very challenging situation. He is an adult and as such it is difficult to force him into treatment, especially if he does not want it or does not think that it is needed. Unfortunately, in many states, the only time that you can force someone into treatment is when they are on the verge of seriously harming themselves or someone else.

My recommendation is to try to convince him to seek treatment. I understand that he may not be willing but it is worth a try. I would also recommend attempting to connect with other friends or family members who are concerned about his condition. He may be willing to attend treatment if several individuals share the opinion that he is not well.

Two websites may be of assistance to you: the Treatment Advocacy Center and the National Alliance On Mental Illness(NAMI). The Treatment Advocacy Center provides information about state civil commitment laws. Their website also provides information about how to handle psychiatric emergencies and when to call for help. NAMI may be a helpful resource because they provide educational information about mental health disorders as well as guidance about navigating the mental health system. NAMI has support groups for family members who have a loved one with a mental illness. Most communities throughout the United States have such support groups. I wish you the best of luck. Please take care.

Dr. Kristina Randle

March 15, 2022 0 comment

How Do I Help Depressed Dad?

by Dr. Marie Hartwell-Walker January 20th, 2021

written by Dr. Marie Hartwell-Walker

I really need a lot of help with my father. He’s 65. My mother and him have been divorced for over 5 years and he is severely depressed about it. I can tell and so can other people.

He’s been drinking alcohol a lot sometimes. He drank so much one time he almost died from it and almost died from it again a year after that. He talks about the divorce a lot, daily, and has every single day for over 5 years. I hate it. It has caused me so much stress that I’ve had breakdowns, too.

I don’t know if he knows he’s depressed or not but he knows there’s a problem. If he’s not drinking, he buries himself in work and talks about women all the time, because he’s extremely lonely since it’s just me and him. I hate it. I see him a lot so overworked from burying himself in his work that he’s almost incoherent. I’m afraid for him and hate to see him do something so stupid as to keep drinking. All he does is put emphasis on how he still loves my mother, how she did him wrong, and how people in general have done him wrong his whole life. He is a really good, genuine person, and so I believe him but he won’t get away from thinking about that stuff ALL THE TIME. Mostly about the divorce.

I’m afraid one day he’s just going to have another bout with alcohol and just die, because I see the pattern every year. Every time I mention it he gets very angry with me and says that I dont know what i’m talking about or that I just need to goto another room and leave him alone. It’s a lot of stress on me. So much that I dont think I can handle it anymore mentally. I’ve seen a side of my father that i’ve never seen before, mostly in the past 3 years and it confuses me from my experiences with him when I was younger, he used to be such a calm person.

I dont know what to think and I dont know what to do. I want to help him but I kind of give up. I dont know what to do anymore.

This has been going on since you were 16? No wonder you’re getting burned out. At 21, you shouldn’t have to be your father’s keeper. You should be launching yourself into your own adult life. Your father apparently has no idea how he is keeping both of you stuck.

I think you’re right that your dad is depressed. He’s self-medicating with overwork and alcohol. Neither remedy is effective. In fact, they only are making things worse.

I can only suggest a few things: First, instead of being angry with him or trying to reason with him, simply tell him how worried you are about him and how his depression is affecting you. Don’t do this in a blaming or shaming way. Just tell him you love him and are feeling unable to make life decisions because you don’t want to leave him when he’s feeling so low.

Then, encourage him to get into some therapy to deal with his feelings of grief and anger about the divorce. Tell him you will go with him for awhile because you need help finding ways to be supportive of him. I’m hoping that his concerns for you as a father may matter enough that he’ll do this for you even if he won’t do it for himself. Hopefully, your therapist will be able to engage him so that you can turn his treatment over to her or him.

Finally, I strongly urge you to find a local chapter of Al-Anon. This is an organization that is connected to Alcoholics Anonymous and that provides support for family and friends of alcoholics. The program can teach you skills to help both your father and yourself. Most important, the group can give you needed support.

I wish you well.
Dr. Marie

January 20, 2021 0 comment

Feeling Different From Everyone Else

by Kristina Randle, Ph.D., LCSW May 19th, 2019

written by Kristina Randle, Ph.D., LCSW

My name is Rachel and I am 15 years old. From the time i was born until i was about 6 I had watched my father beat my mom every day and my dad would smoke crack and pot while i sat on his lap. My mother and father got divorced when i was about 6. My mom used to and still sort of is an alcoholic; but she has slowed down very much. I used to wake up in the morning and find a different guy in my moms bed every day. My father has verbally abused me since i was just a child and that has made me feel worthless as a person.

Since i was 12 years old i have been harming myself; cutting burning etc. when i was 13 I tried to actually kill myself and took 2 bottles of pills. I have been failing all my classes in school since 5th grade; I got held back in the 8th grade. And i’ve always had a problem fitting in with people. I started drinking alcohol when i was 11 years old and continued to drink almost every other day until i was about 14. I started smoking marijuana when i was 14 and shortly after began smoking with my father and that made me feel extremly weird about the situation. I stopped seeing him about a year ago because eventually it all became to much for me to handle.

In january of 2007 I lost my virginity to a boy who i didnt even know and i dont remember anything about it; all i know was that he was 24! I felt extremly depressed after that. I started taking prescription drugs about a year ago (mostly opiates) and that slowly led to heavier drugs like heroin. I am an addict and I have been attending NA meetings because i am trying to get my life back in order, I recently slept with a boy for drugs because i was craving so bad.
I guess what i am trying to say is that; since i was a girl nothing has been good and i feel like things are always going to be this way.

i am already diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety disorder but i feel like there must be something else wrong with me. As strange as this sounds i have a hard time talking to people about my problems because i think that they are going to think that i am saying everything for attention. and that is a massive worry of mine. I have terrible self esteem and i do not like one thing about myself. I also have these really strange moments during the day that i will go from extremly happy and random for a few hours and than suddenly extremly depressed to the point where i dont like to tlk to anyone. There is alot more i could say but im hoping this will be enough.

I just want to know if anyone can tell me if i could have some kind of other disorder besides just depression and anxiety.. because i dont know anyone who is like me and i really am tired of feeling like this. Thanks. Rachel

Hi Rachel. From my perspective, you are a victim of circumstance. You were raised in an environment in which you were not protected, you were abused and drug use was encouraged. What happened to you was neither fair nor was it your fault. You witnessed your parents use drugs. Unfortunately it’s not surprising that you ultimately ended up using drugs yourself.

People need positive role models, especially during the early, formative years. They need people to show them their way in life. They need guidance. You did not have that luxury. Your parents did not take care of you. They left you to fend for yourself, perhaps because they had their own issues to deal with.

Understandably you have severe depression and anxiety. There may be other disorders that you could be diagnosed with but if other diagnoses were identified I’m not certain how that information would help you. It might help a doctor because he or she may know of a treatment that may benefit you but I fail to see how your knowing of other diagnoses would benefit you. Treatment in the form of counseling and possibly medication would be the most beneficial to you.

If you’re not already in counseling please ask either your parents or other adults in your life to get you involved. The issues you are struggling with can be overcome but it’s going to take time and the assistance of competent mental health professionals.

I’m very encouraged to learn that you are attending NA meetings. Many people believe that NA meetings and the people associated with them have helped to save their lives. It will take time to correct the damage from your childhood but it is doable. Your life can be better. Be patient, attend counseling sessions and NA meetings. Thank you for your question. I wish you the best luck. Please feel free to write back with followup questions.

December 23, 2009 0 comment